This Just In: Divorce Stats Are Not As Bleak As We Used to Think!

Remember the dreaded statistic that says 50 percent of all marriages end in divorce? Well, a new book called For Better, by divorcee and New York Times reporter Tara Parker-Pope, attempts to prove the stupid stat wrong.

First of all, no one even knows where that statistic comes from. Secondly, not all states collect marital data, and thirdly, it’s impossible to predict whether someone getting married today will still be married in thirty years. So a stat like that is dubious at best.

If you look at certain demographics or groups in history—an easier way to determine a divorce rate—the statistic is completely wrong.

And one thing is clear: age and education increase your chances of a longer marriage.

81 percent of college graduates who married in the 1980s at age 26 or older were still married 20 years later. But only 65 percent of college grads who got hitched before 26 were still married.

In the 1970s, 23 percent of college grads got divorced within ten years, but those who were wed in the 90s? Only 16 percent split within ten years.

Bottom line: let’s stop quoting this stat once and for all. It’s probably a self-fulfilling prophecy. Writes Parker-Pope: "It makes us ambivalent and more vulnerable to giving up when problems occur.”

Are you scared of divorce? Has this ridiculous statistic ever been a deterrent for you?